Planting a Salsa Garden

Choose Your Ingredients

Whether you prefer your salsa hot or mild, chunky or smooth, some basic ingredients remain the same: tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic and cilantro. Add some other herbs - cumin or scallions are popular favorites. And other salsa enhancers, including black beans, hot peppers and corn, can be grown at home.

Pick a Sunny Spot and Prepare the Soil

Salsa vegetables and herbs need plenty of sun (at least 6 hours a day) to grow well and produce a good harvest. Your salsa garden can be in-ground, in a raised bed, or even in containers. Before planting an in-ground garden, break up the top six inches of soil with a spade or tiller and mix in a 3-inch layer of compost or garden soil, such as Miracle-Gro® Garden Soil All Purpose 0.09 - 0.05 - 0.07 or Miracle-Gro® Organics Garden Mix for Vegetables and Herbs. For containers, use a quality potting mix, such as Miracle-Gro® Potting Mix.

Plant Seeds or Transplants

You can start your salsa garden from seeds or with starter plants available at your local garden center. Follow the directions on the seed packets or plant tags for planting depth and spacing as well as the right time to plant. If you're planting seeds, allow extra time for them to sprout and develop. You might start the seeds indoors to get an early start in the spring. Remember, tomatoes should be at least 2 feet apart, whereas herbs should be spaced around 8-12 inches. Your tomatoes will need support - a cage or wooden stakes are common methods. Read our article on how to train tomatoes.

Feed and Water Regularly

To help your salsa vegetables and herbs grow vigorously, especially during the heat of summer, keep the soil moist and provide the plants a steady supply of nutrients. You can feed your plants every 7 to 14 days while you water with the Miracle-Gro® Garden Feeder and Miracle-Gro® Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food or Tomato Plant Food.

Make Some Salsa

When your vegetables and herbs are ready, pick them, dice tomatoes, onion and peppers, chop the herbs and and mix up some salsa, either by following a recipe or adding ingredients to suit your taste. Whether you eat it as a dip with tortilla chips, add it to tacos, or put it on your eggs, you'll enjoy the taste and wholesome goodness of freshly picked ingredients.